Electrostatic for deionizing air and other gases

ABSTRACT

An electrostatic electrode adapted to be energized by high voltage consisting of a pair of quasi conductive plastic laminates in superposed relation and having relatively poor electric conductivity and insulation. A right angled sheet metal member positioned through a central linear slot of predetermined length with one side thereof sandwiched between said laminates. The upturned portion of the metal member is covered on all sides by insulation. A pair of spaced suspension hangers are secured to the plastic insulation and an insulated conductor is connected to one end of said metal member for conducting high voltage thereto.

United States Patent [191 Slocum, Jr.

[451 May 21, 1974 ELECTROSTATIC FOR DEIONIZING AIR AND OTHER GASES Inventor: Chester D. Slocum, Jr., 9860 S.W.

40th St., Miami, Fla. 33165 Filed: Dec. 19, 1972 Appl. No.: 316,575

US. Cl 317/2 F, 317/4 Int. Cl. HOSf 3/04 Field of Search 317/262 AE, 262 E, 2 R,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1972 Jay 317/2 F Primary Examiner-L. T. l-lix [5 7 ABSTRACT An electrostatic electrode adapted to be energized by high voltage consisting of a pair of quasi conductive plastic laminates in superposed relation and having relatively poor electric conductivity and insulation. A right angled sheet metal member positioned through a central linear slot of predetermined length with one side thereof sandwiched between said laminates. The upturned portion of the metal member is covered on all sides by insulation. A pair of spaced suspension hangers are secured to the plastic insulation and an insulated conductor is connected to one end of said metal member for conducting high voltage thereto.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures ELECTROSTATIC FOR DEIONIZING AIR AND OTHER GASES This invention relates in general to electrostatic electrodes for the deionization of air or like purposes and is mainly an assembly of planar plastic laminates, which material is both a relatively poor insulator and conductor which may have a quasi dielectric constant with an ohmic resistance between and 10 ohms per cubic centimeter.

Prior electrode deionizing devices which require high voltage stimulation are usually dangerous because of the hazardous presence of high voltage on their elements.

Certain prior electrodes, such as those using a generous use of insulating material, such as polyvinyl chloride, results in their inability to maintain a good electrostatic field because ions will accumulate on their surfaces and partially block the field from being deployed. The addition of resistors of high value in the voltage source to reduce the danger of shock is undesirable since a short circuit to ground in one or any of the electrodes will disable the entire system due to the IR drop through the resistor to the power supply.

The use of metal plates or highly conductive plates is also dangerous from personal shock viewpoint because of the stored charge in the system when in use.

The present invention overcomes all of the above problems by using a material that is quasi conductive, having poor conductive and insulating characteristics, and the complete insulation of high voltage elements with potentials in the order of 15,000 to 35,000 volts.

Several well known laminates meet these requirements and the materials best suited have an ohmic resistance between 10 and 10 ohms per cubic centimeter.

Another object of the invention is the use of a flat metal conductor positioned between two sheets of a selected laminate resulting in a distribution where every portion of the electrode will be charged to the same voltage as the source of voltage supply. In the event that the electrode should be shorted to ground, the IR drop from the shortest point to the metal plate within the electrode assembly will remove the high voltage on the surface of the electrode and limit the current flow possibility. Concurrently, all other portions of the electrode will continue to operate, since the short circuit would be of high resistance. This current limiting characteristic reduces the short circuit hazard and will squelch any tendency to form a corona discharge around the device. Since no corona discharge can occur there will be no generation of ions. However any ions that migrate to the surface of the electrode will be forced through the quasi conductive material of the electrode by the voltage on the inner metal plate.

These and other objects and advantages in one embodiment of the invention are shown and described in the following specification and drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view in reduced scale of an electrostatic electrode with power source.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional end elevation taken through section line 2-2, FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the electrode shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional elevation taken through section line 4-4, FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a simplified schematic diagram of the electrode connected to a power source and generating a field between the electrode and the positive ground connection.

FIG. 1 shows a laminated plastic base assembly 1 with a central laminated insulating assembly 2 and hangers 33 and a single insulated conductor 4 terminating at the positive terminal of a high voltage assembly 5 which is supplied by conventional A.C. power input supply through conductors 6 and a ground connection 7.

FIG. 2 illustrates the laminated planar plates 8 and 9 which fonn the assembly shown in FIG. 1 with the lower side 10 of a right angled longitudinal sheet conductor member sandwiched between plastic plates 8 and 9 with the upper side of an angle member 11 extending upward through a longitudinal slot in the upper plate 8. The upstanding portion of the angle member 11 is retained between an elongated plastic body 12 by a pair of plastic bolts 13 retained by plastic nuts 14. A pair of U shaped plastic hangers 15 are secured near opposite end portions of the body 12 by additional bolts and nuts 13 and 14.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the removable connector assembly l6 and the single conductor 4 which is frictionally bonded by split portion 17 in compressed contact with the upstanding angle member 11, better shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 illustrates a concentrated electrostatic field 18 within the space between the base assembly 1 and a grounded surface 19 with the input conductor 4 and the grounded surface 19 connected to a source of high voltage electric energy L, and L In operation and when the electrode is suspended in spaced relation to a semi-electric conductive surface thereunder, and a source of high voltage in the order of 15,000 35,000 volts is applied to the positive terminal thereof connected to the electrode and the negative terminal connected to the surface, respectively, then the air and/or other gases or particles between the electrode and the surface will be subjected to a strong electrostatic field, which will cause the ionized air gases or particles to migrate to the surface of the electrode.

Multiples of this type of electrodes suspended from the ceiling of a room with certain conductors in the floor area will result in the dissipation of undesirable particles, such as smoke that is charged, and the resultant migration to the electrode when the latter is electrically charged.

It has also been found that this electrode method of deionization is of considerable value in the study of bacteria.

It is of interest to know that before the advent of semi-conductors it was generally considered by experts that the electron served only as a current carrier. However, in dealing with ions, positive ions generally move in one direction and negative ions move in the opposite direction when they are under the influence of an electrostatic field. The electrode previously described is also capable of a current flow from the inside to the outside surface thereof, since it is only basically an infinite number of high value resistors connected in parallel. Although it is previously stated that electrostatic fields are projected from the lower sides of the laminates for useful consideration, it is well known that the field is projected from all surfaces of the electrode.

It is also to be noted that the polarity connections to the electrode may be reversed to comply with certain circumstances whereby the electrode would be connected to the negative source of potential and the positive side of the source would be connected to the terminal commonly marked ground, as shown in FIG. 5.

A typical example of one of the uses of the electrode resides in conditioning air in a room that is occupied by people, which air is composed of many forms of airborn particulates. The mere process of breathing causes the exhaust gases and vapors from our breath to be charged with both negative and positive charges. The majority of the charges in our breath are generally positive.

The hairs on the surface of our skin due to their sharp points will cause the air in proximity with these points to be ionized and will produce negative ions in the corresponding areas. The total overall ions released by the body would result in zero charges, as all of the negative and positive charges would recombine in the air.

When a person is smoking, the exhaust smoke is also charged, just as our breath would be, and when a field is energized in a room with our subject and the electrodes overhead connected to a positive source, then negative ions and electrons in the air will migrate to the electrode and the positive ions will then migrate to all of the grounded surfaces in the room.

The same consideration can be given to the exhalation of micro-organisms. The organisms themselves are not electrically cahrged but when they are exhaled or shed from our skin they are then electrically charged and will be caused to migrate to one of the poles in our electrostatic field. The polarity of the electrode is not important for this effect, since we are only attempting to establish a force in the room that will cause deposition of charged particles at a faster rate than would normally occur.

it is to be understood that certain modifications in construction are intended to come within the teachings and scope of the above specification.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. An electrode for projecting thereto an electrostatic field comprising a pair of planar main plastic upper and lower sheet laminates of uniform thickness and predetermined length and width with mating sides thereof adapted to be secured together by an adhesive means,

said main plastic laminates having a relatively low resistance and quasi dielectric constant,

a sheet metal conductor having a substantially rigid right angled shape of uniform thickness and offset sides of predetermined width and having a length a predetermined dimension less than the length of said plastic laminates,

a slot in the said upper one of said main laminates with one of said offset sides of said metal conductor projecting upward through said slot substantially normal to the surface of said upper one of said laminates with the remaining offset side of said conductor sandwiched between said main plastic laminates when secured by said adhesive means,

a high resistance plastic dielectric covering over all surfaces of the upward projecting one of said sides of said sheet metal conductor,

an insulated flexible electric conductor connected to said metal conductor for producing an electric field between a body under the lower side of said lower laminate when the positive terminal of a source of high voltage is connected to said flexible conductor.

2. The construction recited in claim 1 including a pair of hangers secured in predetermined spaced relation to said plastic covering a predetermined distance from the edge of said upward projecting portion of said dielectric covering.

3. The construction recited in claim 1 including a plurality of slots in predetennined spaced relation through said upper one of said laminates,

a like plurality of sheet conductors sandwiched between said laminates with the terminal of each projecting through said slots,

each of said terminals covered by an insulator bonded to the upper surface of said upper one of said laminates,

one end of an insulated conductor projecting through said insulator and connected to each of said terminals and with the opposite end thereof adapted to be connected to a positive high voltage source for producing an electrostatic field projecting from the lower side of the lower one of said laminates.

4. An electrode for projecting an electrostatic field therefrom comprising a pair of planar main plastic upper and lower sheet laminates of uniform thickness and predetermined planar dimensions adapted to be secured in close mated relation by an adhesive means,

the materials of the laminates to have an ohmic resistance between 10 and 10 ohms per cubic centimeter,

a sheet metal conductor sandwiched between said laminates with a terminal thereof extending upward through said upper one of said laminates and extending substantially normal thereto,

insulating means covering said terminal secured to said upper one of said laminates,

one end of a flexible insulated conductor entering said insulating means and connected to said terminal whereby a useful electroststic field will be produced extending from the lower surface of the said lower one of said laminates when the remaining end of said conductor is connected to a source of positive high potential for producing an electrostatic field from the lower one of said laminates. 

1. An electrode for projecting thereto an electrostatic field comprising a pair of planar main plastic upper and lower sheet laminates of uniform thickness and predetermined length and width with mating sides thereof adapted to be secured together by an adhesive means, said main plastic laminates having a relatively low resistance and quasi dielectric constant, a sheet metal conductor having a substantially rigid right angled shape of uniform thickness and offset sides of predetermined width and having a length a predetermined dimension less than the length of said plastic laminates, a slot in the said upper one of said main laminates with one of said offset sides of said metal conductor projecting upward through said slot substantially normal to the surface of said upper one of said laminates with the remaining offset side of said conductor sandwiched between said main plastic laminates when secured by said adhesive means, a high resistance plastic dielectric covering over all surfaces of the upward projecting one of said sides of said sheet metal conductor, an insulated flexible electric conductor connected to said metal conductor for producing an electric field between a body under the lower side of said lower laminate when the positive terminal of a source of high voltage is connected to said flexible conductor.
 2. The construction recited in claim 1 including a pair of hangers secured in predetermined spaced relation to said plastic covering a predetermined distance from the edge of said upward projecting portion of said dielectric covering.
 3. The construction recited in claim 1 including a plurality of slots in predetermined spaced relation through said upper one of said laminates, a like plurality of sheet conductors sandwiched between said laminates with the terminal of each projecting through said slots, each of said terminals covered by an insulator bonded to the upper surface of said upper one of said laminates, one end of an insulated conductor projecting through said insulator and connected to each of said terminals and with the opposite end thereof adapted to be connected to a positive high voltage source for producing an electrostatic field projecting from the lower side of the lower one of said laminates.
 4. An electrode for projecting an electrostatic field therefrom comprising a pair of planar main plastic upper and lower sheet laminates of uniform thickness and predetermined planar dimensions adapted to be secured in close mated relation by an adhesive means, the materials of the laminates to have an ohmic resistance between 108 and 1016 ohms per cubic centimeter, a sheet metal conductor sandwiched between said laminates with a terminal thereof extending upward through said upper one of said laminates and extending substantially normal thereto, insulating means covering said terminal secured to said upper one of said laminates, one end of a flexible insulated conductor entering said insulating means and connected to said terminal whereby a useful electroststic field will be produced extending from the lower surface of the said lower one of said laminates when the remaining end of said conductor is connected to a source of positive high potential for producing an electrostatic field from the lower one of said laminates. 